Sunday, July 31, 2016

Alexandra Keck may have graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Industrial Design but she also takes some lovely photos and is a grand fine artist. Look at this amazing conceptual art piece she created: a glass book, seven sheets, each one etched with a continent. When closed, she says "the overlaid continents transform into an abstraction similar to broken glass."

Saturday, July 30, 2016

If you, like me, have been a fan of the cult British television show "Absolutely Fabulous" (previously here) starring the talented, hilarious Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, you won't want to miss this theatrical outing written by Saunders. She created the character of Edina Monsoon and her daughter Saffron with fellow comedienne Dawn French over 25 years ago. And through all that time, Edina and her best friend Patsy Stone (Lumley) have been chugging along.

Some of the criticism leveled at this film adaptation says there is nothing new here, that it's just a longer version of the television show. Well, yeah, that's exactly what fans want and expect. Why would we want something different? Saunders gives us classic Edi, and her chaotic, clueless, boozey mess of a life. It is who Edina is. Patsy here is classic Patsy as well. In fact nearly every series regular makes an appearance in the film and we delight in seeing everyone including Julia Sawalha as Edi's daughter, June Whitfield as Edi's mother, and the masterfully quirky Jane Horrocks as Edi's assistant Bubble. Oh, and a million cameos from the entertainment and fashion worlds ("Game of Thrones" Gwendoline Chrisite and fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier are just two!). But if you do not have any prior knowledge or exposure to the series, like many critics who have savaged the film, I can see how you would not understand what is happening. It's almost like speaking another language...if you don't speak AbFabese, you won't understand anything at all.

Yes, this is a longer version of an episode of "Absolutely Fabulous" but something that occurred to me after I left the theater is: it was nice to have a full 90 minutes with the gals, and for a story arc to unfold rather than the 30 minute (or less) skits from the television series. The pacing was great and a longer format works quite well for Edi and Patsy.

As far as the story goes, that is classic "Ab Fab" as well. Edina is accused of murdering Kate Moss at a fashion event (she accidentally pushes her into the Thames) and she and Patsy must go on the run from the law. Hijinks, as they say, ensue. And all in Westwood heels! And the ending is a wonderful, deliberate homage to the classic Tony Curtis/ Jack Lemmon/ Marilyn Monroe film "Some Like It Hot."

The series was known for its over-the-top, almost cartoony atmosphere, with whip smart comedy but I found that the film version actually softened Edi in a few spots, and especially at the culmination of the film. It often does not work when a comedy decides to align itself with reality but in this case, it works perfectly. It did not feel incongruous or out of place at all. Well done, Jennifer!

Take a look at the trailer below.

Recommend? Like I said, if you are familiar with the show and these two characters, yes, of course. But if you are not, it might feel a bit like stepping into some kind of alternate universe...

Andie Moore and her husband Jason are candy makers extraordinaire. In a fit of Willy Wonka-esque pique, they describe themselves as "Candy Tinkerers, Sweet Toothes, 'Dreamers Of Dreams.'" And I couldn't agree more. Look at the marvelous edible candy illusions they create!

Chocolate Scrabble tiles! How wonderful is that? Look at them on a wedding cake that was featured in Martha Stewart Brides magazines. It's incredible how real they look--the subtle wood grain on each tile is amazing.

Antique buttons were the inspiration for these tangy, fruit flavored treats made from real, organic juices. They come in Tangerine, Cherry, Lemon, Green Apple, and Boysenberry.

And they make some beautiful little morsels that would be fantastic to incorporate into some kind of dessert to be served after a tropical, seafood meal. Their hard candy sea glass drops look exactly like sea glass, but melt in hour mouth...

...and how phenomenal to serve a dollop of coconut ice cream in these oyster shells with a hard candy shell (one side calcified and the other smooth and shiny) wrapped around a layer of fair trade 72% dark chocolate!

Friday, July 29, 2016

Puma and BMW's Designworks have teamed up to create a marvel of a shoe. Based on the BMW Gina concept car from 2008--a car which was covered with high performing fabric instead of metal, this shoe uses the Puma Disc technology, a twistable dial at the tongue to tighten the closure, functioning as laces. It's ironic how the car was modeled after fashion, and now the shoes are modeled after the car which was modeled after fashion...

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Normally Matt Dixon is an illustrator working in the gaming industry, creating goblins and trolls, but in his spare time, he has created a world of lonely little robot children who valiantly try to find the joy in life. Of course his works are allegorical, showing the human condition and how we all are really, when all is said and done, like little kids, just trying to find something or someone to get us through.

His first collection of robot images, TRANSMISSIONS can be purchased here:

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

“We always feel younger than we are. I carry inside myself my earlier faces, as a tree contains its rings. The sum of them is me. The mirror sees only my latest face, while I know all my previous ones.”
--Tomas Tranströmer, Swedish poet

Monday, July 25, 2016

Welsh photographer Finn Beales likes to go to interesting locations for 72 hours and immerse himself in a milieu in order to photograph all the nuances he sees.

He and his wife recently came to my neck of the woods, Northern California, to photograph a road trip to Lassen State Park and into the glorious redwood forests. But first they flew into SFO to start their trip and of course had to visit the spectacular Marin Headlands overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge (a favorite spot of mine). And they ended their whirlwind trip at the stunning, picturesque beaches in Mendocino County.

About Me

About "Oh, By The Way"

"Oh, By The Way" is my digital scrap book of things I like, things I would share with a close friend and say: “Oh, by the way, do you know of this artist/ clothing or interior designer/ model/ singer/ actor/ gorgeous man… or, have you seen this video/ photo/ film... or heard (or do you remember) this song/ band... or, read this book/ poem/ inspiring quote... or, visited this place/ restaurant/ famous building... or, have you heard of this amazing new scientific discovery?”

I am dedicated to posting the positive, the fascinating, the beautiful, the interesting, the moving, and the inspiring and uplifting. Sometimes I post cultural as well as personal observations, milestones, and remembrances. And just like life, all of these things may often have a bit of melancholy or even sadness in them, which is what makes our time here so lovely and bittersweet and precious.

Some of the photos, art, poetry, and prose are my own original work, credited with my initials, JEF. When it isn't, I always try to post links to the original source material, but often I find photos on the web that are not linked or other material that is not sourced. In these instances, I post them without malice since it is assumed that such things, by being globally posted on something as uncontrollable as the internet to begin with, are in the public domain. If you identify the source of an image that is not linked, please politely let me know (without accusing me of theft) and I will be happy to provide a link.

I hope to inspire and entertain my readers with things that inspire and entertain ME. There is a startling amount of beauty and creativity in the world and it enriches us all to participate in it.

All-time Favorite Films

2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick)

After Hours (Hysterical, hair-raising ride through NYC at night)

Amelie

American Beauty (Alan Ball)

Baraka (Stunning, transcending—the "spiritus mundi" on film)

Belle et Bete (Cocteau)

Big Sleep, The (The epitome of film noir)

Bringing Up Baby (Hepburn & Grant—the epitome of screwball comedy)

Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover, The (Greenaway)

Crash (Cronenberg—DIFFICULT subject, not for everyone)

Don’t Look Now (Nicolas Roeg—ultimate modern gothic horror)

Drowning By Numbers (Greenaway)

Easy Rider

Edward II (Derek Jarman)

Erendira (From magic realist Marquez’ brilliant short story)

Eyes Wide Shut (Kubrick's last film)

Fearless (Jeff Bridges—life and death)

Funny Bones (Leslie Caron, Jerry Lewis, and the brilliant Lee Evans)

Holiday (Hepburn & Grant)

Howard’s End (The ultimate statement of the unfairness of class systems)